Method for driving rock tunnels



Dec. 23, 1952 R. D. sumo METHOD FOR DRIVING ROCK TUNNELS Filed Aug. 15, I951 IN V EN TOR. RaberlflBudd BY Arrow/v5 Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES 0F FICE manJManufaeturing Comranv, i -re:

corporation of I l n s Apnl qa oneugust -l5. ill-s 241L376 7 Claims; 1

This invention relates to improvements in systems and apparatus-for driving large'diameter rock tunnels.

Until the past few years, the maximum size of rock tunnels has-usually been approximately that required for-railroad or vehicularuse, but, with the recent increase in large irrigation projects, tunnels of forty or more feet have been driven, or are in contemplation-.-

It is common practice to driverock tunnels by-blasting either along a single vertical heading-or face, or in which the heading consists of a series'of bencheshaving vertical and horizontal surfaces. When the size of a tunnel reaches beyond ordinary proportions; itbecomes extreme 1y dangerous to drive the tunnel by conventional methods, because overhanging brows, or poor rock structure at the heading, may-endanger the workmen. Also, where the bench method is employed, considerable labor is required to remove the loose material which becomes lodged on the several benches after blasting operations.

A further difficulty in driving large diameter tunnels is that the movable work scaffold, commonly termed a drill jumbo, for supprting drills and workmen at several working levels, becomes extremely heavy and unwieldy, and the. dilficulty of: removing the loose material from the. heading increases" with the heightand size of the drill jumbo.

Another diificulty with conventionalv rnet hogis. stha-t-of s in up r hed roo s p orts usua y m loyed a the orki e aces ad anced,-

cer y e. ut y in en ion for use n e tremely large diameter tunnels I employ a for wardly and upwardly sloped heading for the dual purpose of eliminating dangerous overhanging brows and of providing working space for the in}- stallation of roof steel at thesame time that mucking is being carried out underneath. Addi tjonally, I employ separate upper and lower jumbos, each working against approximately half the heading, the upper jumbo being supported.

'2, unne fac t s s ch as'a ater and 11 m v ne nd tra k eed t i ta led nly on e! am y a the l w r le e 3, Draina 'ge will be established on the final nvertsrade at. once so tha here will be 9.

flow over bench a is the case un r wet-991 dlnp is under,convention t nn linsr aphce 4. Roof support steel can be preliminarily installed-onthe upper jumboat adistance bacl;

from the headingandthen moved up into place and lifted and set with a minimum of time and labor, even while mucking is beingcarried eel; 5 at-the lower level}.

5; "Drilling ofthe-entire top half; ot-thetunnel can be carried ouewhilemuclring; is being done underneath.

6-. By using two jumbos working on two levels,

each jumbovfvillbelighterand consequently m re maneuverable than inconventional practice where a single large-jumbo-i-s-usedi s' 7-. The top i-urri be' can be m'ove'd t ceed undernea e k pt at a d sta ebe kaf m used as a cherry piclrer 'for lifting erfnpty ears over the 1ocomotive.'-: i K

My m o d sy em and apparatus l QW appear as the following description proceeds;

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure ;l is a verti c'al transverse section of -a rocl itunnel in tlr co se of drivingoperations, and i llustrative; of pical arrangement of the driving ppa tu e employ d h re Figure 2 is alongitudinal section of the tunnel shown, in Figure 1, but drawn to asmaller scale, partlys ct n:

R err ng- 9 30 deta s cit-t e im nt my nvention i lli tretedxi t e w n new ei marbeed a c d-w th ny co n al sresser iuarr m indicated by t and ametastases111m and i w decent-sm l at m w h si ulta ou at a u a t o sp ce p followed by blasting and then f muck-i-n .movinglt-heresulting loose materialir an th repe ting e r l n 1 udnsors tio sv,

in my improved system however,the -working;

ep f e ina in ated ne a a Fig-5' ure '2, is battered-back or inclined forwardly'andupwardly-on about a one-half to one slope or atan angle ofi-apprpxi-mately- (SO-degrees to the horde met l;- Sfl e-theo rh gi -br ws ssesses so that-the hazard 1 of falling ro cle from the-race willf e i m e nd so t tior metw ellec s orbenqhswilk e lei-1 onth or eqeirepeia1: c1;m ope a ns t e s eth boss:

w -ls d -ben e W 1 o s het el' 'ihe ilher m rvr rpq f h e benehles isto supportatep arch drill jumbo indie 3 cated generally at l I. A track I2 is laid on each side bench ID for supporting a plurality of aligned wheels l4, M at opposite sides of the top arch jumbo to permit the latter to be rolled to and fro relative to the face.

The proportions of these benches HJ, 19 may vary somewhat with the size of the tunnel, as for instance each bench may be from 4 to 6 feet in width. Said benches are preferably disposed substantially at the widest part of the tunnel, com monly termed the spring line, approximately midway between the roof and floor. benches are carried on relatively steep, inwardly Certain sloping walls l5, l5 which are preferably made as steep as practical for supporting the benches and yet insuring substantial width at the bottom level of the tunnel where other trackways are laid, as will presently be described. a

The top arch-jumbo I l may consist of any suitable framework adapted to support a plurality of drills of conventional construction at properly spaced points for the usual drilling operations at the heading. The top arch jumbo has its forward portion disposed at an angle roughly corresponding to that of the sloping heading or face 5- and berjof such platforms may, ofcourse, be varied,

with the size of the tunnel.

Fromthis top arch jumbo H, steel arch roof supports of conventional form, including-segments 29a bolted or welded together at junctures 29b, may be erected as required, excepting that with my improved system the lower legs 2| of said arched roof supports can be supported directly on the side-benches it, ill or onblocks Ilia resting on said benches. Steel, or wood lagging (not shown) ill be applied between the supports 26 and the rock.

' A second or lower drill jumbo, indicated generally at'25,-is made of proper dimensions to fit within the space between the side benches- ID. This lower jumbois preferably the gantry type having an open central archedportion 26 permitting longitudinalpassage of one or more mucking-machines or cars to and fro relative to the.

headingindependently of the movement of the lower; jumbo. In the form shown herein, the lower jumbo is wideenough to span two pairs of tracks 28, 28' and 29, 29, laid side by side along thev tunnel floor. The upright side legs 30, 30 of the lower jumbo are provided with a plurality of wheels 32, 32 mounted for movement along other tracks-33, 33 'onthe bottom of the tunnel. The two pairs of tracks 28, 28 and 29, 29 disposed be tween the open arch portion 26 of the lower jumbo provide space for two trackways, indicated in dotted outlines at 34 and 35, respectively, in Figure 1, along which trackway mucking operations may be conducted by mucking machines or cars independently of the movement of the lower jumbo 25. Manifestly, piles of spoil will accumulate on the benches l0 after each blasting operation. These piles of spoil can be cleared from the benches by means of plows 38, 38, indicated in Figures 1 and 2, which plows'are, mounted on 4 side walls [5, 15 into the jumbo H.

Both the top and bottom jumbos ii and 25 can be moved in any suitable manner as by means of a hoist, not shown.

It will be understood from the above description that the construction of the drill jumbos, and the machinery and apparatus utilized therewith, have only been roughly outlined to indicate their general structure and use in connection with my improved system, but that details of such drill jumbos and apparatus may vary in any manner to suit particular problems which may be met.

Among the advantages of my improved tunneling system are the following:

space below the top The inclined faces on the heading 5 and on the l side benches It will minimize the hazard of rock becoming dislodged and rolling on the men in the working space below. The inclined heading, as

shown, provides no place for storage of loose material or muck; All such muck will slide on this face directly to the bottom where it can be picked up by the mucking machine working below the top jumbo. The inclined heading, therefore,

provides a safe working condition for the drill-- ing crew which must follow the mucking. Highway cuts are commonly scaled and considered;

safe when out on one-quarter to one slope and;

little hazard is encountered when working to the side or below them.

The side benches [0 provide a solid stable mounting for the top jumbo, as well as additional support for the face of the tunnel until such time as a necessary roof arch can be set. Since such roof arch is commonly set only in the top half of the tunnel, these benches permit the roof arch to 1 be set very close to the brow of the face. Without the benches, it would be difiicult to place the roof arch so as to permit one jumbo, herein the upper jumbo,to reach the entire inclined.

working face.

A further and important advantage of my system is that the tunnel can be cut down to the bottom grade immediately and edged along a single working face extending the entire height of the tunnel, instead of advancing the heading in two steps, as has often been considered necessary with large tunnels. Accordingly, my system makes it unnecessary to lay tracks on the top heading, then remove the tracks and install haulage on the bottom grade, Also portal cuts can betakenout to the bottom grade before the tunnel work is started. Shaft stations can be located on thebottorn'grade, thus obviating the usual necessity of lowering the shaft sta-" tion in a two-stage operation. 'This makes it possible to install air lines 'or ventilation lines, drainage ditches, pump lines, etc., only once during the driving of the tunnel, and sumps can be cut down to the final elevation forthe driving operation.

.,The side benches I6, I!) can be removed to the completed side wall dimensions, as indicated in Figure 1, by either of two methods; one, the tunnel can be driven to its entire length and the benches can betaken up on retreat along the final clean-up; or two, these side benches may be removed behind the heading at the same time that the tunnel is progressing, so long as sufficient bench is left close to the heading to move the upper jumbo into .the clear for blasting; in this method, mucking of the side benches would be carried out when the mucking machines are moved back from the face during the drilling period in the main heading.

As described above, one of the important advantages of this invention is the fact that roof supporting steel can be installed at the same time that muck is being removed from the lower level. This is carried out as follows: when the upper jumbo is away from the face during a blasting operation, the arched roof supports may be bolted loosely together atop a wheeled carriage 50 mounted to run forward and backward along the top level of the upper jumbo. By bolting the joints 2% loosely the arches will droop so as to fit in the space between the previously: installed arches and the upper jumbo, all a shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. When it is moved in place, jacks 5|, 5| carried by the vehicle 50 may be operated to lift the roof arch against the roof following which the junctures 20b may be tightened and set upon blocks ma at the proper height.

In removing muck separate sets of locomotive drawn cars will operate behind each mucking machine on the tracks 28, 28 and 29, 29. During the mucking operation the lower jumbo may be moved a distance from the face to function as a cherry picker in the usual manner involving lifting an empty car to the position indicated 53 in Figure 2 while the locomotive and the rest of the cars run underneath.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle, leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel, supporting separate upper and lower wheeled drill jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and. said floor, respectively, while attacking said face from the front ends of said jumbos to deposit loose material detached from the heading upon the floor of the tunnel, and removing said loose material from the heading along the floor of the tunnel.

2. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle, leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel, supporting separate upper and lower wheeled drill jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and said floor, respectively, while attacking said face from the front ends of said jumbos to deposit loose material detached from the heading upon the floor of the tunnel, removing said loose material from the heading along the floor of the tunnel, and removing said side benches in back of the jumbos to the final width of the tunnel.

3. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle, leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel with the inner supporting walls of said benches-steeply inclined to the floor of the tunnel, supporting separate upper and lower wheeled drill jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and said floor, respectively, while attacking said face from the front ends of said jumbos to deposit loose material detached from the heading upon the floor of the tunnel, also clearing loose material from said side benches by gravity along the inclined inner walls of said side benches with plows carried in front of the upper jumbo, and removing all of said loose material from the heading along the floor of the tunnel.

4. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle, leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel, supporting separate upper and lower wheeled drill jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said mucking operation.

benches and said floor, respectively, with said lower drill jumbo spanning a material-removal trackway disposed centrally of the tunnel floor, while attacking said face from the front ends of said jumbos to deposit loose material detached from the heading upon the floor of the tunnel, and removing said loose material from the heading along the material-removal trackway.

5. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle, leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel, supporting separate upper and lower wheeled drill jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and said floor, respectively, erecting a roof arch from the. upper jumbo, with the lower ends of said roof arch supported on said side benches, while attacking said face from the front ends of said jumbos to deposit loose material detached from the heading upon the floor of the tunnel, and removing said loose material from the heading along the floor of the tunnel.

6. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle; leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel; supporting separate upper and lower wheeled jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and said floor, respectively; moving said jumbos back from the face and blasting the face to deposit muck on the floor of the tunnel; assembling roof-supporting steel on said upper jumbo, moving the latter back to said face and installing the steel at the roof; and drilling the upper portion of the face with the upper jumbo while mucking at the lower level and employing the lower jumbo as a cherry picker during the mucking operation.

'7. The method of driving rock tunnels, which consists in advancing the heading with its working face disposed at an upwardly and forwardly inclined angle; leaving side benches intermediate the roof and floor of the tunnel; supporting separate upper and lower wheeled jumbos for independent to-and-fro movement along said benches and said floor, respectively; moving said jumbos back from the face and blasting the face to deposit muck on the floor of the tunnel; moving the.

upper jumbo back to the face and drilling the upper portion of the face from the upper jumbo while mucking at the floor level and transferring into cars; and employing the lower jumbo as a transfer point to transfer loaded cars from one end of a string of cars to the other during the ROBERT D. BUDD.

No references cited. 

